From Wallflower to Butterfly
by idealskeptic
Summary: COMPLETE. Bella Swan is going to the Hawaiian destination wedding of her sorority sister. She thinks she'll just spend a week on the beach with her BFF, Alice. She's wrong. One of the guys at the wedding distracts her from all rational thought and she lets herself fall in love with soldier boy, Edward. Drabble fic. Will be 45 chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Ha! Like I'd be here if I owned any of this! Don't own it.

**A/N: **This is a 45 part drabble fic. Being that, I totally understand not wanting to review forty-five tiny chapters so I will not beg for reviews until it's all over and you've read all 45. Then you **_have_ **to say something, see? Not that I'd be opposed to you reviewing before that...

* * *

**From Wallflower to Butterfly**

"Aloha." The grass-skirted girl in the lobby of the Kahala Resort said as she draped a lei around my neck. "Welcome to Hawaii. Enjoy your stay at the Kahala."

I assured her that I would, and followed Alice to the concierge desk. "I can't believe we're staying here," I whispered as I looked at the lobby.

"I can't believe we're staying here for _free_. And you didn't want to join Alpha Chi Omega." She scoffed loudly. "Think about it, Bella. If we hadn't joined, we wouldn't know Rosalie and we wouldn't be spending a week at a resort on Oahu for free."

"I realize this, Alice," I said patiently. "But I don't like weddings, and I'm not really a beach person."

She hissed at me, as if I would curse our trip with such words. "Relax, Swan. You're going to love this. If you don't, well, you can drag me to hundred libraries."

* * *

**Thanks **to the ever lovely Frankielynn for beta'ing these for me even when RL was in turmoil! xo


	2. Chapter 2

**Oodles of thanks to TwistedInMasen for the banner art thingy that now accompanies this story. She's brilliant. Told her it was Hawaii, Bella, and Edward and she got it better than I pictured! x**

**Part 2 for you! Don't worry, Edward's coming soon... ;)**

* * *

Alice bounded into the room and jumped onto one of the two beds in our third floor Mountain Lanai room. "I'm in love," she sighed.

"With a hotel room?" I asked.

"With _this_ hotel room," she clarified. "Come on, Bella, even bookworm you must realize how awesome this place is."

I peeked around the fluttery curtains and spotted a very comfortable looking chair on the balcony. "That will be a good place to read."

Alice was on her feet in the blink of an eye. "Read? No. Just no. Not now."

"It's dark out, of course I'm not reading now."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's go check out the bar in the hotel. I need something tropical."

I went along because it was easiest. We both ordered Hawaiian Margaritas, and then sat at the bar to drink them.

"Those don't look too girly," a man said beside me, pointing at my drink. "What is that?"


	3. Chapter 3

Alice, naturally, told the guy and his friend, that we were drinking Hawaiian Margaritas. They took that as an invitation to join us. I just wished Alice was sitting between me and the blond guy.

"Be right back," I whispered in Alice's ear as I slid off my stool. "Order me another one, okay?"

I peed, fixed my hair, and walked back to the bar. Just I expected she'd taken my stool to flirt with Blond Guy. The only flaw in the plan, in retrospect, was that someone took her stool. So I had to sit by Blond Guy's friend… Bronze Guy.

Bronze Guy was not tan. He was, in fact, kind of pale. His hair was oddly bronze colored, hence Bronze Guy.

"You didn't get the margarita?" I said, eyeing his Corona.

"I am neither as desperate nor as horny as Jasper." He held out his hand. "I'm Edward."


	4. Chapter 4

As it turned out, Edward didn't need to copy drink orders to flirt. All he really had to do was look at me, and I blushed and giggled like Alice was when Jasper spoke to her.

"So what are you doing Honolulu?" Edward asked, momentarily making me forget my name.

"Our sorority sister is getting married. What about you?"

"A wedding," he said, offering me a lopsided smile. "You're not here for the Hale-McCarty wedding, are you?"

My stomach did a little flip. "Actually, yeah. Is that what you're here for?"

"Mm-hmm," he hummed. "Emmett's in the same unit as Jasper and I."

"Oh, right, Emmett's in the Navy."

"Navy Seals," he clarified. "He got his orders changed, though, and he's not leaving with us."

It all came back to me then. The destination was long planned, but the wedding had been moved up because Emmett was supposed to deploy.


	5. Chapter 5

I said goodnight to Edward after I finished my second margarita. Alice followed my lead, and was about to scrawl our room number on a napkin when I yanked on her arm.

"Sorry," she told the guys as she shot me a pointed look. "She's just more shy and skittish than me."

I stalked away from her, and she only just made it onto the elevator before the doors slid closed. "Shy and skittish? Thanks a bunch, Alice."

She batted her eyelashes and stuck out her bottom lip. "I'm sorry," she said in a baby voice. "I know, your dad's a cop and you're not supposed to give out your information to strange boys."

"No, you aren't. You make me glad I didn't tell him my name."

"You didn't?" she squawked. "Why not?"

I shrugged and scowled. "We're here for the same wedding… so he'll see skittish old me again anyway."


	6. Chapter 6

"Bella!"

I spun around, sending the banana flying off my plate.

Bronze Guy, also known as Edward, picked the fruit up off the floor and dumped it in the trash can before handing me a new banana from the breakfast buffet table.

"Thanks. I didn't tell you my name," I pointed out.

"I know." There was that lopsided grin again. "Jasper told me. Apparently your chatty friend told him her life story in twenty minutes last night."

"As long as she didn't tell him mine."

"Only your name," he assured me. "Or at least that's all he told me. He seemed a bit preoccupied thinking of her. Spent a lot of time in the bathroom."

"Ugh!" I almost dropped my plate in my hurry to put it down so I could clamp my hands over my ears. I glared at him. "She did too, since you made me think about it."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Apologies for not replying to the last bunch of super sweet, super amazing reviews but… life sucked a bit over the last few days *fingers crossed the next few suck less*. I appreciate, adore, and cherish each review so please… know that! Thank you!

* * *

Jasper and Alice waved me and Edward over to their table. I wasn't at all sure how she'd managed to get her breakfast, find him, sit down, and start eating so fast but… that was Alice.

"So you know we're Seals," Edward said as he cut into his cheese omelet, "what do you two do?"

"Alice owns a boutique in Seattle and I work at a library there," I told him. "We're roommates."

Jasper asked Alice something about her boutique and I started to listen but Edward distracted me. "A library? You're a bookworm?"

"Damn proud of it too," I said, desperate for him not to associate my love of books with my being shy and skittish.

"What kind of books do you like?" Happily, he seemed nonplussed by it all.

I felt my face redden. "Um, well…"

"She loves _Wuthering Heights_," Alice interrupted.

Edward smiled mischievously. "A romantic, I like it."


	8. Chapter 8

Rosalie and Emmett had all sorts of events scheduled for their fifty or so wedding guests. No one had to participate, so I passed on things like jet-skiing and kite surfing. Helicopters over Honolulu Bay, trips to the USS Arizona Memorial, snorkeling, and hikes in the rainforest were definitely acceptable, however.

First on the agenda was submarine tour around the reefs and the airplanes and ships wrecked at the bottom on the ocean. Alice claimed a strong dislike of enclosed spaces underwater, so I gracefully bowed out of a botanical scrub at the spa.

Edward was on the shuttle to the submarine and I sat beside him. "No Jasper?"

He shook his head. "He's got an ear infection so he can't go too high or too low."

"Alice stayed behind to shop. She shops a lot."

Edward laughed easily. "He'll probably shop with her. She probably won't pay a dime either."


	9. Chapter 9

"I want to do that. Is it on Rosalie and Emmett's list of things guests can do?"

Edward looked at what I was pointing at through the porthole of the submarine. "You really don't strike me as a scuba diver, Bella."

I waved him off and stared at the five people scuba diving around the reef. "I actually have scuba-dived before. I'm certified and everything. Do you scuba dive?" I groaned. "Stupid question. Navy Seal. Of course you've done it."

"I do. I don't know if it's on the list, but we'll do it even if it's not."

I got stupidly excited that he said _we'll_, and I hoped he take my blush to be a result of the pressure in the sub. "It's too expensive." I was such a chicken, I embarrassed myself.

"It'll be my treat," Edward said, turning from the porthole and staring at me. "You can pay me back some other way."

"Seriously?"

He smiled. "Yes, seriously."


	10. Chapter 10

Alice pounced on me when I got back to our room. "Jasper told me Edward was going on the submarine. Did you seem him? Did you talk? You didn't clam up and _not_ talk, did you?"

"Down girl! Not coming down from your shopping high yet?"

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Not for days, I don't think. Jasper told a guy staring at me to stop ogling his girlfriend." She gave a giddy sigh and collapsed back onto her bed. "Anyway, I shopped and Jasper called me his girlfriend. Your turn. Spill."

I told her all about what we saw on the trip. Then I dropped what I knew she'd think was the bombshell.

She sat up and eyed me. "You scuba dive?"

"Yep. I've done it four times. Have you done it?"

"Three times. I'll text Jasper and see if he wants to go as a group."


	11. Chapter 11

"I knew you were falling for him."

"Damn you, Alice Brandon!" I yelped, waving my razor at her. "I could have cut my… important artery."

She snickered and plucked her toothbrush from the edge of the sink. "You're so cute when you try to sound threatening. Anywho, I knew you were falling for him."

"Because I'm shaving my legs before breakfast on the beach in Hawaii? Gee, it's like you expect me to wear my sweats." I scowled at her and went back to what I was doing.

"I wouldn't put it past you, Bella." She spit a stream of toothpaste into the sink. "But answer me nicely, please, don't you like Edward?"

I jabbed the razor in the direction of the hook on the wall where I'd hung the strapless dress I intended to wear.

Alice's squeal was ear-piercing. "I knew you could flirt and do fashion if you really, really tried," she declared.


	12. Chapter 12

When we got to the beach where the wedding guests were having a buffet style breakfast, Alice yanked hard on my arm and pointed to Edward. The navy color of his short sleeved shirt, paired with white Bermuda shorts, was the perfect match to the navy color in the paisley print on my mostly white dress. We matched. Perfectly.

"Aw, Alice, why didn't you coordinate us?" Jasper asked cheekily when we sat down at a table with them.

"This is totally accidental," Edward answered for her. "Not that I mind."

I bit my lip and tried hard not to blush. It didn't work.

He offered to give me half his Spam and eggs for half of my Hawaiian style French toast. Even though I thought Spam was one of the most disgusting things ever invented, I knew it was Hawaiian and I knew it was Edward offering, so I made the trade.


	13. Chapter 13

I let Alice con me into lying on a lounge chair on the beach that afternoon, on the promise of finding a bookstore later. Naturally, she laid there for all of ten minutes before she had to pee too badly to sit still. Against my better judgment, I was too comfortable to get up and go with her. Plus, I didn't have to pee.

I fell asleep before she got back and woke up to someone nudging me.

"Not Alice," Edward said when I growled her name. "Jasper's waking her up. You two might want to turn over or you're going to be too badly sunburned to enjoy the rest of the week."

I sat up and looked over my body. "It doesn't look too bad, does it?"

"I wasn't spying, but you only fell asleep ten minutes ago. You'll be fine. Just best not to fall asleep at all."


	14. Chapter 14

Mercifully, I did not look like a half-cooked lobster. In fact, after twenty minutes spent lying in the other direction, I looked more tan than I had in my entire twenty-two years of life.

Alice gave me a thumbs-up when I emerged from the bathroom a little while later in a navy blue halter neck dress she'd convinced me to buy before our trip.

"This looks dressy enough for the restaurant, right?" I twirled to watch the uneven, jagged cut hem balloon up and then fall back down. "And what shoes should I wear? Sandals? Flats?"

She hopped off the bed and fished a pair of nude strappy wedge sandals out of the closet. "Wear these."

Wedges were better than the stiletto heels I expected her to shove in my face so I put them on. "I didn't buy these."

"I know. I bought them," she said happily. "They go with everything. I knew you'd love them. I'm so freaking excited you're going on a date."


	15. Chapter 15

My stomach flip-flopped all the way down to the restaurant. I'd been on dates before. Some of them even went okay. They went better when I double dated with Alice.

But of course, when Edward asked me to dinner, I agreed before I even considered if it would be just us or a double date with Alice and Jasper. Then she told me that they'd already made plans to go see a fire-walking demonstration, and try it themselves. Fire-walking but refusing to go on a submarine? Sometimes Alice just didn't make sense. But it's why I love her.

Thinking about her did help me not chicken out of my date and make a mad dash for the airport. Nope, I walked into the restaurant with my head held high. And I didn't trip.

Edward stood up when he saw me, and kissed my cheek before he pulled out my chair.


	16. Chapter 16

"So you like books," Edward said as we waited for our food. "What else do you like?"

"Music. Classical stuff. You know, the type of things you can turn on while you read books and not end up distracted by singing along."

He laughed and tore a breadstick in half. "I know what you mean. _Claire de Lune _is the perfect soundtrack for anything and everything."

"Or Pachelbel's _Canon in D Major_," I suggested. "I'm very productive when I listen to that."

"Isn't that every woman's wedding music?" he asked cheekily. "Reading in to what you said you like, you can't be a hopeless romantic like that. Can you?"

"What would your wedding music be? You said you like music, so tell me."

He thought about it for a long minute. "It'd be Jeremiah Clarke's _Trumpet Voluntary_."

"Now who's the hopeless romantic? That was played at Princess Diana's wedding. You win, Edward. You're the helpless romantic."


	17. Chapter 17

I was in love. With my dessert. And I wasn't even ashamed to admit it.

"Is it good?" he asked, obviously amused by whatever way I was showing my love for the rum butter pineapple upside down cake in front of me.

"Oh my god, yes. I need the recipe for this." I boldly held out my forkful of cake. "Want to try?"

He seemed surprised by my offer but took the cake. "That is very, very good," he agreed. He offered me a taste of his coconut banana coffee cake.

As I marveled at all the flavors crammed into one little bite, I absently thought about how proud Alice was going to be of me when she found out I ate off his fork. "We should've skipped dinner and just had four desserts."

"Next time," he said with a wink.

I did a little happy dance at the idea.


	18. Chapter 18

We went for a walk on the beach after dinner. The way the moonlight danced on the water was enchanting. But it wasn't as enchanting as watching Edward. I stared openly at him, especially after he linked his fingers through mine. It was the first time we'd really touched and I felt a spark run through my body when we made contact with each other.

I was probably imagining it, but I liked that spark.

Edward led me away from the shore and we sat in the still warm sand.

I curled my toes into the grainy stuff when he leaned to the side and kissed me. He pulled back after a few seconds.

I cupped my hand around his cheek, pulling him back.

I'd never been as bold as I was then.

There was one thought in my mind. I wanted to kiss him. I didn't want to stop.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **That's right, folks, even I've gotten tired of my every other day posting schedule. So expect this to post often and fast. Why wait if it's done, right?

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Edward didn't make me stop.

His hands were around me, on my hips, in an instant and he tugged me into a better position.

As I felt his fingers ghost over the silky fabric of my dress, a shiver ran through my body and I felt the heat pool in my core. I wasn't a virgin, but the sensation was entirely new.

I leaned forward awkwardly, eager to discover more of him with my lips and my mouth.

He sucked a deep breath when my hand pressed against his erection. "How far, Bella?" he murmured in my ear. "How far is this going?"

My mind wasn't working right, I was sure of it, but I didn't care. "All the way," I told him. "It's going all the way."

He pulled me to my feet, but didn't let his lips get far from mine. "My room or a cabana?" he breathed.


	20. Chapter 20

The cabana was closer.

Edward yanked the fabric across the bar and closed us off from the handful of people still on the beach.

My legs felt like jelly and I stumbled backward in the sand, falling onto a lounge chair with my legs spread. My mind was too distracted to be embarrassed by my clumsiness.

He put his hand just above my knee before I could pull my legs together. "Why bother, Bella?" He lifted both my legs and settled me properly on the chair, only with my knees up and my dress bunched up around my hips. "Last chance."

I shook my head and wrapped my fingers around the fabric of his shirt, pulling him down to meet my lips. "Don't look back."

I prayed the chair was sturdy as he returned his hand to my legs, teasing his way up and ever closer to my throbbing center.


	21. Chapter 21

I exhaled a short gasp of air when he pushed into me.

I'd never felt so full and I twisted my hips to settle him as deep as possible inside of me. My breath hitched when he just barely brushed against my walls and _that_ spot I once thought was only a pipe dream. I resolved then and there to find out if it was as amazing as all the smutty books I'd read said it was.

"Didn't think you'd be so forward," Edward murmured against my neck as he alternated between thrusting into me and nipping at my earlobe.

"Don't judge a book by her cover," I told him as I scraped my nails over the sculpted muscles of his back.

He moved to focus his attention my lips. "Wouldn't dream of it."

He sat me up a little, changing his angle, and I came apart fast in his arms.


	22. Chapter 22

It was hard to think as my breathing settled to something vaguely resembling normal.

Mostly I wanted to repeat what we'd just done.

But the cabana wasn't the place to do it so I settled, very happily, for cuddling against his chest with his arms wrapped around me.

"I don't do things like this," I told him softly.

"Neither do I. Maybe I shouldn't."

I twisted my neck to look up at him. "Why not?"

He shrugged and tucked my head back beneath his chin. "Soldiers like me shouldn't leave loved ones behind."

My heart hammered a bit before my mind told it that he hadn't exactly said he loved me. "Shouldn't you let your loved ones decide that?"

"That's what I try to tell myself. Do you regret this?"

I didn't let him keep my head tucked. "No. Absolutely not. Do you regret it?"

He shook his head.


	23. Chapter 23

I woke up to a bony finger poking me in the ribs. I almost smacked Alice instead of doing what she wanted and waking up. I growled instead.

"Hey, you woke me up traipsing in here at three in the morning," she retorted. "I get to wake you up however I damn well please."

I threw a pillow at her, and it missed by a mile. "Aren't you even going to ask why I came back so late?"

She bounced on the bed. "Yes. I was going to give you a chance to wake up. You're awake. Spill."

I flung my arms above my head and allowed myself a Cheshire Cat-like grin. "The g-spot? It's real."

It only took four words to literally knock Alice off the bed.

I laughed and rolled over to look down at her. "It was in a cabana on the beach."

She grabbed her chest. "I'm so proud of you!"


	24. Chapter 24

Hours later, dearly missing my bed, I joined the wedding party for a hike through the nearby rainforest. Edward had a little bit to do with why I went. Okay, he had a lot to do with it. But he made it better. And I wasn't going to miss the rainforest for anything.

"It's slippery," he warned as we made our way down a rocky trail beside a waterfall.

"Don't let me fall in," I kinda sorta begged him. I really didn't want to fall over a waterfall but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility with me. On the other hand, him catching me would be very nice and I had no doubt that he would catch me if I fell.

He apparently didn't trust me not to fall so, with no warning whatsoever, he swept me off my feet and carried me. He didn't so much as slip once.


	25. Chapter 25

We only walked for twenty minutes or so before we came upon a small hut where an old man sat on a mat and beckoned us forward. It was like stepping back in time because we couldn't see civilization from where we were, even if the hut was obviously a part of the tourist experience.

Some people kept walking but I sat down on one of the mats surrounding the hut. I was surprised when Alice sat beside me, because sitting still for stories wasn't really her thing, but then I remembered her saying that Jasper liked history and it all made sense.

One of the most interesting parts in the story the old man told was that leis were thrown into the ocean by girls who loved sailors. If the lei came back to shore, it meant the soldier would return. It was a sweet, heartbreaking good luck charm.


	26. Chapter 26

"Geez," Alice said as I held out my arms while the safety instructor buckled me into the harness. "Have sex on the beach once and suddenly you're an adrenaline junkie. I really need to try that."

"It's just parasailing, Alice," I retorted. "You're going too."

"True. However, I am not the very definition of wallflower. You are. And now you are going to parasail. Craziness, I tell you, pure craziness."

"Take pictures?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, silly. Ooh, look. Here comes Edward and Jasper. Should I get them to come on the same boat as us or should we go with Jessica and Lauren?"

I blinked at her because she'd lost her mind. I didn't answer her question. I waved at Jasper and Edward and stuck my tongue out at Alice.

"First time?" Edward said as he wound his arm around my waist.

"Yep. Not for you?"

"First time parasailing, yes. I've only parachuted."


	27. Chapter 27

It took a long time for my mind, heart, and body in general to calm down after parasailing. I wanted to do it again. One day.

I'd gone first, to ensure that I didn't chicken out, and Edward went second so we sat on the boat and watched Alice and Jasper took their turns.

"You parachuted with your Special Forces unit?" I asked.

"I'm a Navy Seal," he elaborated, "and yes. Parasailing is more fun."

"Maybe because it's not work?"

He nodded and bumped his shoulder against mine. "Stop worrying about me, Bella."

"What? How do you know I'm worrying?"

"Aren't you?"

I admitted that I was. "I'm not an idiot, Edward. You told me you're going to Afghanistan and you told me you're a Navy Seal. That's dangerous. Worth worrying about."

"Alright, fair enough. Is it bad of me to say that I like having someone worry about me?"


	28. Chapter 28

Rosalie had arranged for all the girls to get manicures and pedicures and makeup tips on the morning before the sunset wedding. Hair would be in the afternoon. It wasn't my favorite way to spend a day, but I was all about thinking outside the box lately so I only complained because Alice would have worried if I hadn't.

While the guy buffed and polished my toenails, I eyed the strappy, heeled sandals I was supposed to wear skeptically. "I'm going to break my ankle."

"No, you won't," Rosalie said in a tone that said I was not allowed to even think such a thing.

"It's a beach wedding," I argued. "We should be barefoot or in flip-flops."

"Not getting married in the actual sand, Bella," she reminded me. "Besides, I rearranged the pairings. Edward will be walking with you down the aisle. He'll make sure you don't fall."


	29. Chapter 29

I ignored Alice's fit of giggles and gaped at Rosalie. "Why did you rearrange the pairings? I rehearsed with Garrett."

"It's walking, Bella," she sighed wearily. "I know you're not always a pro at that but all you have to do is walk. You really shouldn't need to rehearse. Besides, Edward asked Emmett to ask me to rearrange the pairings."

I didn't even care that I was blushing. "Edward's the best man. I'm not the maid of honor."

"How do you put up with her?" she asked Alice, who only shrugged and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "I wanted you to be the maid of honor. I asked. You said no. So it's only right that slutty Kate brings up the rear with Garrett and you be where you should be. Don't you think?"

I wracked my brain for some way to argue. But I didn't really want to argue.


	30. Chapter 30

"Hey, do you guys know what Bella's new favorite drink is?" Alice said while I was tongue tied. When the appropriate amount of time had passed, but before I could clamp my hand over her mouth, she answered her own question. "Sex on the beach. Oh wait. That's her new favorite activity."

I couldn't hit her because Rosalie, the bride, was between us in the manicure chairs and she was enjoying Alice's declaration far too much. As the newly appointed maid of honor, it would be bad form for me to hit her over her gleefulness.

"Emmett didn't tell me that," she squawked. "Did you really have sex on the beach?"

"Yes." It seemed easiest to just admit it. I even decided to embrace it. "I'd do it again too."

"Details," Rosalie demanded. "As the bride, I demand you give me details."

Girl talk was more fun than fighting against it, so I did as she asked.


	31. Chapter 31

"Squish them up," Alice instructed me as she zipped the back of my strapless dress.

"My boobs do not sag," I retorted.

"Didn't say that, Swan," she muttered, reaching around and doing what she'd told me to do. "You just have to maximize what you've got. You have boobs, therefore you should have awesome cleavage."

I turned around and hugged her. "I'm sorry you have to wear a push up bra under your dress to get cleavage," I said, just like I did every time we had the same conversation.

"See, I'm living vicariously through you," she said as she adjusted her bra.

"Jasper's not a boob man, is he?"

She shook her head. "Unless he's trying to make mine grow by fondling them constantly, he's good with what I've got." She sighed and a serious looked washed over her face. "I really like him. Maybe too much. You know?"


	32. Chapter 32

I knew exactly what Alice was talking about.

Flings while on a Hawaiian vacation were one thing, one thing that I never expected myself to do, but this felt like more than a fling to me. Apparently it did to her too. That was feeling was scary.

Who goes to a destination wedding and falls in love, real love in a matter of days?

I'd read a lot of books, Jane Austen and the Brontes, and I thought I knew how to fall in love and how not to fall in love. I was wrong.

I was pretty sure I was in love. I'd reached that point where you just have to accept that love at first sight can happen.

And then you have to pray that you don't get your heart smashed to pieces because you were wrong about it, on your end or his.


	33. Chapter 33

The wedding party gathered in the lobby of the hotel. Maybe it was Edward's influence or maybe it was just being on the island, but I actually felt pretty enough to be with all the other beautiful people Rosalie and Emmett surrounded themselves with – and they did have a party of twelve, with only fifty guests total.

"You look very pretty," Edward said when I stood beside him.

"Just pretty?" I said self-consciously before I could stop myself.

"This doesn't look natural for you. You've been beautiful," he explained. "_This_ is pretty."

"Thank you, I think. I can't believe you got them to rearrange who's who in the wedding party."

"I meant it as the sincerest of compliments," he assured me solemnly. "As for the rearranging? I want to spend as much time with you as possible before we both leave this island."

My heart skipped a beat or two.


	34. Chapter 34

Edward didn't let me fall as we followed Alice and Jasper down the aisle.

He seemed reluctant to let me go when we got to the altar.

I felt him watching me as I flared the skirt of Rosalie's dress just the way she wanted it around her feet and took her bouquet of tropical flowers.

I met his eyes as I took my place and he turned to face the minister performing the ceremony on Emmett's right.

I broke away then and watched the bride and groom. I couldn't help wondering how I would look in Rosalie's place, if Edward took Emmett's.

_She_ looked like an entirely different person. She looked like she could walk on air just because he loved her and because she got to be his wife.

I had never wanted that, I had never daydreamed about my wedding.

I wanted it now, and I was dreaming of it.


	35. Chapter 35

"Want to go snorkeling tonight?"

I shivered involuntarily when I felt Edward's breath on my neck while we watched Rosalie and Emmett post for wedding photos. "Tonight?"

"Mm-hmm," he hummed as he wove his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Snorkeling after dark is… magical."

"Okay, snorkeling after dark," I agreed. "Should we ask Alice and Jasper?"

He chuckled and nuzzled my neck. "We can if you want, but I'd bet they'll be using either your room or mine for other after dark activities."

"She'll be very happy," I laughed.

He hummed again. "Am I being too forward, by the way? I'm leaning all over you. I can stop."

"Please don't," I said too fast, and I blushed.

He laughed softly and straightened up, brushing a thumb over my cheek. "You're getting a tan and I can't see your blush as well. I miss it."


	36. Chapter 36

Edward used his Navy Seal certification, and possibly a wad of cash, to convince the business operator that we didn't need a guide on our snorkeling excursion after the reception ended. "Trust me?" he asked as the man behind the counter handed over keys to a small speedboat.

I knew the butterflies rioting in my stomach weren't out of mistrust, so I nodded. "Yes. I do."

He gave me a lopsided grin and tugged me out of the shop. He drove the speedboat to an open but deserted cove. "It isn't deep," he said as he helped me with my gear.

"Hold my hand?" I asked, partly nervous about what I was about to do and partly wanted him to hold my hand.

"Until you let go," he promised solemnly.

With our hands clasped firmly together, we jumped in.

Snorkeling in perfectly clear, moonlit waters was magic. Just like he promised.


	37. Chapter 37

After we finished snorkeling, we took the boat back and walked back to the hotel. There were still some shops open, selling the usual touristy items. I stopped to finger a white and yellow lei made out of orchids, carnations, and tuberoses.

Edward bought it for me and draped it around my neck.

I linked my fingers through his and led him back to the beach. When our bare feet were sunk in the wet sand and tickled when the waves washed over them, I turned to him. "Do you remember what that old man said about leis?" I fingered mine when he nodded. "You're leaving soon, for war. I have to know if this is just a one-time thing? Is it a fling?"

"No. I want to know you when I come home. I want write to you while I'm gone." He dropped his eyes and stuffed his free hand in his pocket. "Is that okay?"


	38. Chapter 38

It was more than okay and I told him so, but I chickened out of doing anything with the lei. I took it back to my room with me and draped it over the lamp by my bed.

"Did you have sex?" Alice murmured sleepily from the other bed.

"No, we went snorkeling. Did you?"

"Yep. It was awesome," she sighed and then rolled over. "Snorkeling? Seriously? That's not code for something?"

"It was also awesome," I assured her. "Alice? Are you going to keep in touch with Jasper? See him again when he comes home?"

"Mm-hmm. Already exchanged details. What about you and Edward?"

"We didn't exchange details, but I want to."

She rolled over and looked at me. "They leave for Japan tomorrow after dinner. Don't wait too long."

"I won't," I promise as I flopped onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I had to stop thinking and just act. I knew I didn't have a choice.


	39. Chapter 39

I presented Edward with my cell phone number, email address, apartment address, and Skype ID at breakfast the next morning. I worried a little that it was too presumptuous, but he had the same information written out and ready for me.

We ate with Alice and Jasper, and then looked over the list of what activities Rosalie and Emmett were footing the bill for that day. They'd left on their honeymoon already, skiing in the Alps since his orders were changed, but we could all stay in Hawaii for another three days.

We settled on a sailboat trip.

No one else signed up so, besides the two crew members, we were the only ones on the boat.

"Is that the lei I bought you last night?" Edward asked while we drank wine and ate cheese in the sunshine.

"Yep, I thought it matched my dress so I wore it. Seemed a waste not to wear it."


	40. Chapter 40

The only time I took the lei off that day was we went swimming. Alice and I stripped out of our dresses and Jasper and Edward swam in their shorts. The boys showed off their skills and taught me and Alice how to do tricks in the water.

Neither of us complained about being held tightly while they corkscrewed through the water and launched up into the air and back down again. It was exhilarating.

Things were a little awkward when we got back on the boat. We didn't have much longer with each other and no one knew quite what to do.

So we played truth or dare.

It was still awkward but it was fun because we got to learn about each other and make each other do silly things at the same time.

When the captain docked the boat, Jasper asked if we'd take them to the airport.


	41. Chapter 41

"You don't have families to see you off?" Alice asked as we stood in a busy hallway at Honolulu International Airport.

"They saw us off to Hawaii," Jasper explained. "Our mothers cried less when they could convince themselves we were only going to a wedding."

I laughed, or tried to, when Edward nodded in wholehearted agreement.

There wasn't much time before their flight to Okinawa so Edward squeezed my hand and I followed him to a secluded corner near a bank of departure and arrival screens. "I didn't expect this," he whispered when I wrapped my arms around him. "I only expected to come here and try to forget what came next. I didn't think I could. There were times this week when I did forget. It was because of you."

"I'm happy I could give you that, at least."

"At least?" He sighed and kissed me. "You've made the next few months easier. And harder."


	42. Chapter 42

Tears streamed down my face when I watched their plane take off through the glass window. "Why am I crying?" I asked Alice, who was crying just as hard.

She shook her head. "If you figure it out, tell me."

"I don't think I will, but I'm okay with it." I squared my shoulders at the admission and sighed. "Let's go back to the hotel. We have to pack. But we should get one more massage before we go."

She blew her nose wetly on a tissue and nodded resolutely. "I'm good with that."

Hawaii wasn't any less beautiful because Edward left, but it seemed a little emptier. I didn't write it off, though, because I knew I'd come back one day. And he'd be with me if I had anything to say about it.

We packed, ate as much sugary, fattening stuff as we could for lunch, and went for our massage.


	43. Chapter 43

The next morning, Alice and I took our luggage down to the lobby. I asked her to get us a taxi while I did one last thing. Being Alice, she agreed without question.

I left through door that led to the beach and hurried across the sand to the water's edge.

With the memory of what the old man on the walking tour had said in mind, I fingered the yellow and white lei that I'd draped around my neck. I'd long ago start wondering about what to believe and what not to believe when it came to gods, faith, and religion but what he had said made sense.

So I took off the lei and threw it with all the strength I had, just as the water went back out.

It took only seconds before a wave rose up and deposited the lei back at my feet.

Edward would come home.


	44. Chapter 44

The next months passed without anything spectacularly good or spectacularly bad happening. I went back to the way I'd done things before.

I was different, though. I wasn't as much of a wallflower. I wasn't quite a social butterfly, but I felt like I'd grown up. Or was still growing up.

Edward and I talked as often as we could. Since he was in Special Forces, we couldn't Skype as often as I would have like and letters took a ridiculously long time to get from one of us to the other. Email was the best. Whenever I worried I rambled too much, he'd send me a longer email.

Then one day, out of habit, nothing more and nothing less, I checked my phone for messages when I put my coat on to leave work.

I had a message. The message I'd been dreaming about for months.

_I'm coming home. I love you._


	45. Chapter 45

Edward and I were back in Hawaii, at the Kahala, a year later.

We'd had our own destination wedding, in the Olympic National Park, and then returned to Hawaii for our honeymoon.

It would have been too cliché to get married there.

The cabana where we'd had sex on the beach was still there and I wasn't at all surprised when Edward led me to it the first night we were there.

We came together on the lounge chair that still didn't look quite sturdy enough.

Afterward, as I lay in his arms and he nuzzled against the crown of my head, I sighed more happily than I ever thought I could. "I never doubted you'd come back to me," I murmured.

"No? Why not?"

"I threw that yellow and white lei you bought me into the ocean. It came back on the first wave. It was my lucky charm."

* * *

**The response to this story has been AMAZING, STUNNING, AND TOO INCREDIBLE for proper words on screen to convey how much it means to me. Yes, shouty caps are necessary there. Thank you all so incredibly much for following me on my first attempt at an Edward and Bella story, and one in drabble form… even when it posted too slow at first. **

**Your reviews and the fact that you're hear reading this now making writing fun. I hope I could give you something fun with what I wrote.**

**xo**


End file.
